Here's a theory: what if Dirtmamancers...usually pop working for cities where they're needed, rather than as free casters. Most Dirtmancers might be like Sizemore, working for a side and only able to freelance in MK occasionally.

Casters very very rarely just pop freely. The only example is Tasha, and she only managed to reach the MK because she was a Thinkamancer, and got lucky in who she contacted. It's even explicitly stated at one point that all casters in the MK are from fallen sides, and that there was supposed to be no shame in that apparent "failure" to save one's side, unless you were a Predictamancer. So Dirtamancers' rarity in the MK means that either they are a rare caster type in general, or they are for some reason less likely to survive the fall of their side due to where/what they would be doing at the time. Both possibilities seem equally plausible to me.

I have a theory about Tisha. What if while she was a wild caster, she was found by Charlie? He then gets her into contact with Jungstown, all as part of a long con to break the inner circle of the Great Minds. He makes the summon perfect warlord spell with her the first time, which is how she knows how to make it for Gobwin Knob. And then she helps summons Parson as part of Charlie's plot to fight fate.

Basically, wouldn't it be awesome if Charlie put out a hit on himself to try and break the way the world works?

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She was popped in the wild, survived by making mercenary long distance thinkograms, and espionage. She later made mental contact with Jungstown. Don't you think Charlie would have found it useful enough to have an agent not affiliated with Charlescom to work through that he would pay her upkeep?

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Possibly they'd be less likely to survive because in the last battle for the capital, they'd be out in the field fighting with traps and golems. Maybe the ones that are more likely to make their way back is those who don't have much to contribute to the direct combat effort? Moneymancers or something, who would spend all their juice before the battle starts and then have no good reason to stay and fight rather than escape?

Dunno, I'm just guessing.

That makes a lot of sense. All the more direct combat classes out in the field might usually get croaked or captured when their side falls, while the court magicians like Thinkamancers and Moneymancers can flee into the portal.

I suspect that every class has some purpose mid-battle though, even moneymancers. For example, moneymancers might help you spend your treasury for emergency unit/city upgrades, and to spend money to instantly pop new units to replace the ones killed.

A cool idea would be if a Moneymancer could set bounties. Put a price on an enemy units' head, and when that unit is croaked, a certain amount of smuckers is added to the treasury. Or similarly, I bet a Moneymancer could harvest the side's units for smuckers, like you could mounts for food. Turn those smuckers into gems, and you've got blood diamonds.

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FTL I totally agree with your theory, that was the general idea I was proposing. There are some more combat-oriented casters and some who are less so, so the combat oriented ones are less likely to escape. Or ones who travel a lot to do their work, like perhaps Dirt and Sign working on cities away from the capital for instance, so they'd be stranded/disbanded if the enemy succeeds on a decapitation strike.

As for Tisha, interesting theory on her knowing Charlie, however we know that Judy's spell was crafted by Haffaton and Efbaum casters, meaning Maxwell would have been the Thinkamancer incolved, not Tisha. That doesn't mean she couldn't know Charlie independant of that, but she definitely didn't make the first spell.

_________________"I'm afraid I don't understand. And also afraid that I do."

I guess I forgot about Maxwell. I do hope that some day we find out more about him. His death just seems too strange to let go. I'm hoping he's become a thought entity. Maybe he'll reappear as a cross between Obiwon Kenobi and Max Headroom.

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In a sizable side, something's being improved or repaired all the time, and almost most all of it isn't in the capital (where did we meet Digdoug? Some other city). So, dirtamancers tend not to be where they can get to the MK.

Agreed Drache. Then it becomes a question of how common decapitation attacks are versus your traditional conquering. Since warfare and battlefronts seem to be the norm, I find it hard to believe sides get surprised and decapitated very often, but who knows? Because in a traditional war, the casters would generally have time to gradually retreat towards the capital as the side loses their territory.

_________________"I'm afraid I don't understand. And also afraid that I do."

I guess I forgot about Maxwell. I do hope that some day we find out more about him. His death just seems too strange to let go.

Yeah, and what's also weird is that he went out the same way as Charlie almost did. Obsessing about the buds making him better at Thinkamancy, then Olive finishing him off. Sort of like how Charlie and Jillian have a lot in common. Strange.

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Yeah, and what's also weird is that he went out the same way as Charlie almost did. Obsessing about the buds making him better at Thinkamancy, then Olive finishing him off. Sort of like how Charlie and Jillian have a lot in common. Strange.

Yes Shai, that's the right way of thinking. Soon enough you shall join me in the "The Jester was Maxwell!" camp, soooooon.

_________________"I'm afraid I don't understand. And also afraid that I do."

Yeah, and what's also weird is that he went out the same way as Charlie almost did. Obsessing about the buds making him better at Thinkamancy, then Olive finishing him off. Sort of like how Charlie and Jillian have a lot in common. Strange.

Yes Shai, that's the right way of thinking. Soon enough you shall join me in the "The Jester was Maxwell!" camp, soooooon.

The jester did use a hammer... I wonder if it was silver...

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Agreed Drache. Then it becomes a question of how common decapitation attacks are versus your traditional conquering. Since warfare and battlefronts seem to be the norm, I find it hard to believe sides get surprised and decapitated very often, but who knows? Because in a traditional war, the casters would generally have time to gradually retreat towards the capital as the side loses their territory.

From various travel descriptions, the distance between adjacent cities seems to be more than a single-turn journey in an awful lot of cases. If you knew an enemy side had a caster type that was most useful if kept moving from city to city upgrading defences, you might be inclined to attempt to scout those movements in the hopes of a possible surgical strike on the routes between their cities with the possibility of taking a very high-value target. Definitely worth a gamble often enough that a Dirtamancer would have a significantly increased risk of being croaked in normal conditions than a caster type that's likely to spend most of their time in the capital.

DigDoug's travel was eased by Weatherbug's location making everything behind it basically safe territory, but in most cases the path isn't likely to be that secured.

Hmmm that's a good point, hadn't considered that means of caster attrition. From the sounds of it casters often travel with a stronger escort, and the enemy side would have to have good fliers to really pull it off, but yeah that could definitely cut their numbers down.

_________________"I'm afraid I don't understand. And also afraid that I do."

Sorry to take a bit of sidetrack here. But did anyone else find it rather odd or interesting that he flew in the belly of the Hippo-Crate?

Travel by stomach does not sound like a particularly pleasant method. (though im imagining its stomach is shaped like a big shipping crate )It could be useful for smuggling. Trojan Horse but with a bomb in it or something? Must be some way to creatively use that hehe.

Because in a traditional war, the casters would generally have time to gradually retreat towards the capital as the side loses their territory.

In turn-based war though? Might not be as feasible.

I meant "traditional" in the sense that there is an obvious "battlefront" and the winning side is pushing forward, conquering the enemy. Even in a world that runs on turns, your casters should be able to retreat steadily provided you don't foolishly literally send them to the front lines.

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